Goyang City and Goyang Research Institute Hold the '2024 Goyang Korea-Germany Economic Forum'

'Mapping the Future Economy of Goyang City and Germany' Theme
"Designation of Economic Free Zones, Attraction of Foreign Companies Needed... Continuous Innovation to Meet Global Standards"

Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City, is delivering a greeting at the '2024 Goyang Korea-Germany Economic Forum' held on the 31st of last month.

A forum of experts exploring the potential for a new economic leap for Korea and Germany through advanced industries was held in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province. The ‘2024 Goyang Korea-Germany Economic Forum,’ hosted by Goyang Special City and organized by the Goyang Research Institute, took place on the afternoon of the 31st of last month at the Sono Calm Goyang Grand Ballroom.

According to Goyang Special City on the 1st, the forum was held under the theme ‘Drawing the Future Economic Map of Goyang City and Germany,’ focusing on bio and smart mobility, the core industries of the economic free zone that Goyang City is strategically promoting.

The forum began with a welcoming speech by Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City, followed by congratulatory remarks from Kim Un-nam, Chairperson of the Goyang Special City Council, and Georg Schmidt, German Ambassador to Korea, as well as an opening address by Kim Hyun-ho, Director of the Goyang Research Institute. About 150 people, including Goyang city council members, related experts, and citizens of Goyang, attended the event.

On the day, Mayor Lee Dong-hwan stated, "To overcome the policy challenge of escaping the bed town image, Goyang City needs designation as an economic free zone and attraction of overseas companies, and we will continuously innovate to align Goyang’s administration with global standards."

Martin Henkelmann, Head of the German Chamber of Commerce in Korea, who delivered the keynote speech, presented on the topic ‘A New Partnership between Germany and Korea for Innovation in the Korean Economy,’ suggesting promising fields for advanced industrial cooperation between Korea and Germany, including electric vehicles, hydrogen energy, bio-medical sectors, and decarbonization industries.

Following this, Kim Young-woo, Director of the National Cancer Center Research Institute, emphasized the significance of cancer research in the bio industry under the theme ‘A Prepared Global Bio City, Goyang!’ He also proposed strategically fostering Goyang’s bio industry by utilizing the National Cancer Center as an anchor institution.

Participants of the '2024 Goyang Korea-Germany Economic Forum' are taking a commemorative photo.

The second presenter, Bernhard Seliger, Head of the Hans Seidel Foundation Korea Office, noted that recent trends in German regional economic policy emphasize creating innovative industrial ecosystems and proposed cooperation between Goyang City and Bavaria’s advanced industries, including the bio sector. To this end, Seliger suggested the necessity of joint research projects like Horizon Europe, cooperative projects with German companies, and academic exchanges, emphasizing the effective use of the Hans Seidel Foundation, headquartered in Munich, and the German Chamber of Commerce in Korea.

Following the presentations, under the moderation of Cho Bong-hyun, former Vice President of IBK Industrial Bank of Korea, various opinions on fostering advanced industries in Goyang City were shared by Park Byung-kwan, Head of the Fraunhofer Korea Office; Kang Sung-min, CEO of Rowan; Woo Tae-wook, Head of Miltenyi Biotec Korea; Oh Hyun-woong, Director of Industry-Academic Cooperation at Korea Aerospace University; and Kim Dae-young, Administrative Director of Dongguk University Biomedical Campus.

Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang Special City said, “Today’s forum is a meaningful occasion to seek new growth engines for Korea and Germany and to jointly draw the future economic map. Goyang City will strengthen various global collaborations to designate economic free zones, attract overseas companies, and foster advanced industries,” adding, “Through this, we will gain significant momentum to strengthen Goyang’s industrial infrastructure and self-sufficiency.”

Kim Hyun-ho, Director of the Goyang Research Institute, stated, “Through today’s forum, we expect to derive various strategies and measures necessary for the economic development of both Korea and Germany and to concretize cooperation models,” and added, “The Goyang Research Institute will expand practical cooperation with Goyang City, the German Chamber of Commerce in Korea, and the Hans Seidel Foundation to help Goyang grow into a global economic city and a mecca of advanced industries.”

Goyang Special City and the Goyang Research Institute plan to continuously cooperate with the German Chamber of Commerce in Korea and the Hans Seidel Foundation to enhance Goyang City’s self-sufficiency, using this Korea-Germany Economic Forum as a stepping stone.